[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 891 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 891

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the 
 recognition of attending physician assistants as attending physicians 
                       to serve hospice patients.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 5, 2011

  Mr. Grassley (for himself and Mr. Conrad) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the 
 recognition of attending physician assistants as attending physicians 
                       to serve hospice patients.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Hospice Care Access Act of 
2011''.

SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF ATTENDING PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AS ATTENDING 
              PHYSICIANS TO SERVE HOSPICE PATIENTS.

    (a) Recognition of Attending Physician Assistants as Attending 
Physicians To Serve Hospice Patients.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1861(dd)(3)(B) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(dd)(3)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``or nurse'' and inserting ``, the 
                nurse''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, or the physician assistant (as 
                defined in such subsection)'' after ``subsection 
                (aa)(5))''.
            (2) Clarification of hospice role of physician 
        assistants.--Section 1814(a)(7)(A)(i)(I) of the Social Security 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 1395f(a)(7)(A)(i)(I)) is amended by inserting 
        ``or a physician assistant'' after ``a nurse practitioner''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to items and services furnished on or after January 1, 2012.
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